10 Cars that sank Detroit

[ploopy]

well i haven't read the thread or the article. and i don't know a whole lot about what sank detroit except for the insufferable arrogance of men like bob lutz. but i do have an opinion and impression of these cars, and it would seem i want to stand up for a few of them. some of them started well but ended badly. some of them were not what we needed, but this is America and we're talking cars. our cars or about our needs and a whole lot more

so let me see here...

Ford Pinto
Chevrolet Cavalier.
Chevrolet Astro.
Ford Taurus.
Ford Explorer.
Jaguar X-Type.
Hummer H2.
Toyota Prius.
Chrysler Sebring.
Jeep Compass.

my idea of the ford pinto is a small, practical car. i hope it was cheap at the time, because it seemed to be a cheap car.of course it was a disaster, because it was sent out to compete with the imports and wasn't nearly as good or reliable. and then it started blowing up. this was the beginning of the end for detroit, really. they laughed at small cars and rushed out crap like the pinto, pacer, and chevette. meanwhile Datsuns were like little tanks. a sign of things to come. mazda had the rotary engine and fuel injection, we had carburetors lol

the Caviler had a long run, it seemed. a car that should have been improved over the years just stayed cheap. i had the displeasure of having a two door loaner car Cav some years ago. it was one of those sporty models. most uncomfortable car ever. just awful. if this is what chevy sent out to compete with civics, corollas, and even escorts, then bleh

Astro Van lol. some vehicles speak very well for themselves. and it was just bad business, selling this delivery truck as a mainstream minivan for families. what a pile, though somewhat reliable as a workhorse. but its got quite a following in the barrio. just look at the news when they catch smugglers hauling mexicans over the border. "hey man, thats an Astro Van!" lol its very popular in the projects. and thats fine. it now has a home

Ford Taurus and Explorer? these are two cars i always had a good impression of. the Taurus seemed modern and comfortable from my experience, and the one time i drove a '90's model (forget the year) i remember thinking "nice car." i'm not sure it sunk detroit, but Ford seemed to sink it. the car, i mean. i guess it started with "The Oval." some didn't like it. not being a Ford guy, i liked the oval. i think the problem was, where do you go from the oval? the car lost its character, was brought back, axed, and now the name carries on on an entirely different car. its senseless. the Taurus name was supposed to be the future of ford. its bread and butter car. oh where will the fusion be in 10 years?

i drove an oval escort once. rented it, as a matter of fact. it was a fun little car.

the Explorer? i liked it and drove one extensively. i see nothing wrong with it except that it along with the Cherokee started the whole Sport Ute craze. i mean, they weren't the only ones, but Lindsey Wagner sold a lot of Explorers, i'll tell you that. i mean it was a good vehicle from what i could tell, and practical for those who wanted one. do they still make them? maybe they should stop, its way long in the tooth. but i actually see the Explorer as a bright spot for detroit. it may not have been the right vehicle for a lot of reasons, but it was the right vehicle for a lot of people, regardless. people loved their Explorers. and i liked driving one for awhile myself (although not the owner)


ok i am tired and have to sleep. gotta post the last five later

[ilovemycomputer90]

I would have to agree that the cavaliers "ooze with cheapness". I currently drive a 1998 four door. The paint is chipping and the undercarriage is starting to rust. Granted, the car is 12 years old and I've been driving it 60 miles a day, four days a week since September. This past winter has been no picnic either.

The transmission, water pump, and radiator have been replaced. The mechanic drilled a hole in the thermostat so that the engine doesn't overheat. So it has had its share of problems (mostly with overheating, as these cars tend to have a history of). As far as I know, there hasn't been a problem with the head gasket. Putting all this aside , the car has been reliable. It gets me from point A to point B, so I have no complaints. Got it when it had 114,000 miles on it. I've put about 15,000 miles on it myself. Once the overheating issues were resolved, the car drove great (and still does). So while the cavalier has its problems, it has proven to be reliable. Perfect for a poor 19 year old like myself.

Personally, I find the early 90s model of the Ford Taurus ugly. The late 90s model wasn't much better, but an improvement. Early 00s aren't too shabby. But I don't know how well they drive or how reliable they are.

I was surprised to see the Ford Explorer on the list. I see plenty of them on the road now. Seems like a decent car. Wouldn't mind having one myself, although I prefer the mid to late 90s model.

[Marv101]

All of Ford's bad press for the Pinto and Explorer came from self-inflicted wounds; the location of the gas tank on the Pinto, as well as their recommended air pressure for the Explorer's tires were lower than Firestone's, which caused the tires to fail repeatedly, and especially in warmer climates.

They also had a major marketing blind spot regarding the Taurus's reign as the best selling car in the country; they eventually destroyed the car's resale value by really pushing sales to corporations and rental car agencies.

The Pontiac Fiero also belings on that list; besides the well-documented problems with engine fires, it was way too heavy, way too slow, and way overpriced, and was immediately panned as a 'chick's car'.

The fact that it came out the same year (1986?) as Toyota's flawless MR2 pocket-rocket was another reason why it didn't turn out as planned.

[GTOlover]

Originally Posted by Marv101

All of Ford's bad press for the Pinto and Explorer came from self-inflicted wounds; the location of the gas tank on the Pinto, as well as their recommended air pressure for the Explorer's tires were lower than Firestone's, which caused the tires to fail repeatedly, and especially in warmer climates.

They also had a major marketing blind spot regarding the Taurus's reign as the best selling car in the country; they eventually destroyed the car's resale value by really pushing sales to corporations and rental car agencies.

The Pontiac Fiero also belings on that list; besides the well-documented problems with engine fires, it was way too heavy, way too slow, and way overpriced, and was immediately panned as a 'chick's car'.

The fact that it came out the same year (1986?) as Toyota's flawless MR2 pocket-rocket was another reason why it didn't turn out as planned.

the Pontiac Fiero came out in 1984 but only with the iron duke 4 banger the last version had a suspension designed by lotus in 1988 it also had the 2.8 MPI V6 and larger brakes but by then it's name was tarnished but the 1988 Pontiac Fiero GT is still sought after plus lot of people dropped in the 3.8 supercharged V6 or a 350 SBC V8 to give it some serious grunt and it is still popular to be used as a kit car